(19)
(11) EP 1 760 500 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
01.08.2007 Bulletin 2007/31

(43) Date of publication A2:
07.03.2007 Bulletin 2007/10

(21) Application number: 06119692.9

(22) Date of filing: 29.08.2006
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
G02B 6/00(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR
Designated Extension States:
AL BA HR MK YU

(30) Priority: 02.09.2005 KR 20050081845
01.06.2006 KR 20060049298

(71) Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-Do (KR)

(72) Inventors:
  • Hwang, Seong-mo
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)
  • Lee, Moon-gyu
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)
  • Kim, Young-chan
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)
  • Wee, Dong-ho
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)
  • Nam, Seung-ho
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)
  • Kim, Kyung-yeup Samsung Adv. Inst. of Technology
    Gyeonggi-do (KR)

(74) Representative: Zimmer, Franz-Josef 
Grünecker, Kinkeldey, Stockmair & Schwanhäusser Anwaltssozietät Maximilianstrasse 58
80538 München
80538 München (DE)

   


(54) Illuminator for flat panel display device and illuminator for double-sided flat panel display device


(57) Provided is an illuminator for a flat panel display device. The illuminator includes a light source (11) generating light; a light guide plate (20) that guides and distributes the light generated by the light source (11) and is made of optically isotropic material; a collimator (10) that is disposed between an end of the light guide plate (20) and the light source (11) and guides the light from the light source (11) onto the light guide plate (20) with a predetermined incident angle; a polarization separation layer (30) that is made of optically anisotropic material having two refractive indices and formed on the light guide plate (20) to transmit first polarized light from the light guide plate (20) and reflect second polarized light from the light guide plate (20); and a beam out-coupling layer (40) that is formed on the polarization separation layer (30) and out-couples the light incident from the polarization separation layer (30).







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